Lena Platonos is a Greek musician, pianist and music composer. One of the pioneers of Greek electronic music, she remains active today. Lena was born in Heraklion, Crete, and grew up in Athens. She began learning how to play the piano at the age of two and became a professional pianist before turning eighteen. Soon afterwards, she received a scholarship to study in the the Berlin and Vienna Academies , where she was exposed to jazz, rock and Middle Eastern music. She returned to Greece in the late 70’s and began working with the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.Released in 1984, ‘Μάσκες Ηλίου’ (‘Sun Masks’) was Lena Platonos’ first record to feature her own words and vocals. All instruments were performed by Lena herself.. ‘Sun Masks’ was inspired by Argentine writer, Julio Cortázar as well as the film ‘The Wall’ by Pink Floyd. "I began to reverse my thought process, to let melodies fade out, to turn to minimalism, to experiment on my Yamaha C60 synthesizer and a variety of “boxes” which I used to change the sound of my voice as well as the sound of the synthesizer” says Lena. The album featured experiments with different sounds and a new batch of electronic equipment, such as the legendary Roland TR 808 drum machine. Lena narrates each song in deadpan fashion, skillfully reciting her surreal Greek poetry. Her lyrics deal with the futility of love, the gap of human relationships, consumerist alienation in the bourgeois lifestyle of the 1980s.All songs have been remastered from the original master tapes for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket is an exact replica of the 1984 edition, featuring a photograph of Lena wearing sunglasses or “sun masks”. Each copy includes a two-sided 11”x11” insert with lyrics in both Greek with English, and liner notes by Lena.

Lena Platonos is a Greek musician, pianist and music composer. She was one of the pioneers in the Greek electronic music scene of the 1980s, and she remains active today. Lena was born on the island of Crete and grew up in Athens. She began learning how to play the piano at the age of two and became a professional pianist before turning eighteen. Soon afterwards, she received a scholarship to study in Vienna and Berlin, where she was exposed to jazz, rock, and Middle Eastern music. She returned to Greece in the late 70’s and began working with the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation. She released three collaborative albums between 1981 and 1983, but it was her “triptych” of solo albums, Sun Masks (1984), Gallop (1985), and Lepidoptera (1986) that would lead many to call her the “Greek Laurie Anderson” or “mother of Greek electronica”. Released in 1986, Lepidoptera was Lena’s third solo album, which was inspired by a scientific book on butterflies she found in a trashcan one day. The Latin genus and species names were mysterious and paralleled the changes in Lena’s personal life. “My concern in this work is transformation as a metaphor, or transcendence as an existential condition,” says Lena. Compositions follow minimalistic motifs and carefully-staged soundscapes. Vocals are processed through electronic filters, and at times plays a central role. Lena’s surrealistic verses are delivered in a direct fashion, touching on themes of metamorphosis, rebirth, love, and alienation. At times, she expresses tenderness; at others, a childlike innocence. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket is an exact replica of the 1986 edition, featuring an original collage by Lena and photography by Spyros Stateris. Each copy includes a two-sided 11”x11” insert with lyrics, photos and liner notes by Lena, with English translations by Stathis Gourgouris.

Lena Platonos is a Greek musician, pianist and music composer. One of the pioneers in the Greek electronic music scene of the 1980s, she remains active until today. ‘Gallop’ was Lena Platonos' second record that she composed, produced and sang. The record was released in 1985 and had a profound effect on the contemporary Greek music scene. The album is made exclusively of analog synthesizers and heavily features the iconic Roland TR-808 drum machine. Lena’s narrates each song, reciting her own surreal Greek poetry with unique skill.